On the afternoon of the 25th, Taoyuan Mayor Chang Shan-Cheng visited Taipei City to attend the “Business Today’s Sustainable City SDGs Grand Survey Press Conference.” Mayor Chang stated that this year, in the “Business Today’s Sustainable City Grand Survey,” Taoyuan was very honored to receive the “Economy Special Outstanding Award” and once again be recognized with the “Sustainable City Excellence Award.” Given the interconnectedness of economic development and environmental sustainability, efforts should be made to take care of the environment while promoting economic growth. Taoyuan looks forward to working together with other counties and cities. He believes that with the joint efforts of all, Taiwan will become a better place.
Mayor Chang pointed out that nowadays, both private enterprises and government agencies consider the SDGs the most essential matter. Taoyuan City took the lead on March 29th this year in announcing the Taoyuan 2050 Carbon-Neutral Pathway under the framework of the UN’s Race to Zero Campaign. Industry and the economy will be critical to achieving carbon neutrality in Taoyuan. Therefore, active cooperation from various industries in Taoyuan City is needed to reduce carbon emissions collectively.
Mayor Chang also thanked Keelung, Taipei, and New Taipei for jointly promoting the “Keeling-Taipei-New Taipei-Taoyuan TWD 1,200 Commuting Monthly Pass” policy. This significantly increased public transportation in these cities, particularly rail transportation, which is an essential element in developing sustainable cities. Since the promotion of the “Keeling-Taipei-New Taipei-Taoyuan TWD 1,200 Commuting Monthly Pass,” the number of passengers on the Taoyuan Airport Metro has greatly increased, and the number of commuting passengers has even exceeded pre-epidemic levels, showing remarkable post-epidemic recovery.
Mayor Chang stated that sustainable development is a long journey. The city government plans to transform the Hutoushan Innovation Hub into an SDGs industrial park. The plan is to bring in SDG-related industries, providing nearby guidance to Taoyuan’s industries. This will allow them to move towards SDGs-compliant goals gradually. The goal is to reduce and improve environmental pressures caused by economic development while developing the industry.
In this year’s assessment, Taoyuan’s economic power has shown outstanding results. According to statistics, in the first nine months of this year (2023), there have been 58 investment cases in Taoyuan, with an investment amount of TWD 100 billion, through the assistance of the Taoyuan City government’s Department of Economic Development. Compared to the same period last year (2022), with TWD 86 billion, this shows a growth rate of approximately 20%. It demonstrates that despite the complex and changing international situation and geopolitical environment, Taoyuan’s economic development continues to grow in adversity. Therefore, Taoyuan’s future economic development and growth are still promising.